Harry Potter and the Order of the Shadow
by the dork knight
Summary: After Harry defeats Voldemort at the Ministry at the end of his fifth year, things should be good. Instead, a new, darker threat arises and it will be up to the Ministry Six to stop them.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling.

**CHAPTER ONE – THE POWER OF LOVE**

"Kill me."

The words came from Harry's mouth, but were spoken with Voldemort's voice as he dropped to his knees before falling over and curling up into the fetal position.

The dark wizard had just tried to take possession of the young raven haired wizard with a distinct lightning bolt shaped scar after dueling to a stand still against Albus Dumbledore. Voldemort knew that Dumbledore had a weakness for Harry, and decided to use the fact that he wouldn't harm the boy against him, and then to use Harry to kill the leader of the light.

However, the moment his essence entered Harry completely, he was wracked with pain very much like the time he had faced the young wizard when he had possessed that fool Quirrell on his quest to get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone.

Voldemort could not believe it. He was so sure that when he had used Harry Potter's blood for the ritual that gave him back his body the year before, he removed that defense. Yet there he was, curled up on the floor of the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic and begging for death to take him.

If Voldemort was in pain, it was nothing to what Harry was going through. When Voldemort had returned the previous year and touched his scar, Harry felt like his head was splitting open.

Now, with the dark wizard inside him, he felt like his entire body was going to burst with pain.

Harry wanted nothing more than to die at that moment, not only to end the physical pain, but the emotional pain that he had lead Sirius to his death by coming here. A slight wave of peace washed over him as he thought of how he would be able to see his parents again on the other side.

Then, something dawned to him. If he died, Voldemort would still be alive and would kill everyone he knew.

Images flashed through Harry's mind of everyone he cared about.

"Yessssssss," hissed Voldemort. "You are right to be worried for them. I know all that you do. I know who you care for and will make their deaths slow and painful once you are gone."

When images of Hermione started to play through Harry's mind, he refused to let it happen. If he was going to die, he was going to make sure he took the bastard that had ruined his life with him.

And so, Harry grabbed onto the essence of Voldemort that was inside his mind and refused to let the dark wizard go as he fought and screamed in pain.

Dumbledore watched as Harry's scar started to throb slightly before it started to bleed.

"No," he whispered as he watched. "You must fight it Harry. You must."

Harry noticed the more he thought about those he cared about, the more pain Voldemort endured. So he started focusing on moments that meant most to him. The night Hagrid had come and told him he was a wizard. When he met Ron on the train to Hogwarts and they became friends. The first time he laid eyes on Hogwarts during the boat ride. Becoming friends with Hermione after he and Ron saved her from the troll. The night between his first and second year when Ron and the twins came to break him out of the prison the Dursley's made his room into. The moment when he tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby. The joy he felt in his heart when Hermione was no longer petrified. Finding out that Sirius was his godfather and was going to take him away from the Dursley's. The late night flight on Buckbeak with Hermione to rescue Sirius. How Hermione was the only person that believed him and stuck by him when his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. How beautiful she looked at the Yule Ball and how he regretted not asking her himself. The times they spent together talking, laughing, studying, and just relaxing in the common room.

Harry's life was practically flashing before his eyes, and as it did, he came to realize something. He was in love with Hermione Granger.

"NO!" Voldemort cried out in pain as he felt his connection to his Horocruxes diminish.

In a small cottage in Little Hangleton, a stone embedded in a ring shattered. In a small cupboard in Grimmauld Place, a locket cracked. In a safe deep in the bowels of Gringotts, a cup melted, as did a diadem hidden within Hogwarts itself. At Malfoy Manor, a large snake aged rapidly till it was nothing but dust. And on the Atrium floor of the Ministry of Magic, black smoke rose out of the scar of a teenage wizard.

Just as Harry felt his life starting to slip away, he used what mental strength he had left to grip the essence of Voldemort inside his head as tightly as he could.

"I love you Hermione," Harry whispered, and then both his and Voldemort's spirits vanished into the great beyond.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Dumbledore could feel nothing but sadness in his heart as he watched the young man he had come to respect and care for die. He regreated the distance he kept between the two of them over the past year

Just as the floo's throughout the Atrium came to life, ejecting a few dozen Auror's and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, Fawkes flamed in right over Harry's body. Within a few seconds, he grabbed Harry's shirt in his talons and flamed away before anyone else could see the body.

"Thank you old friend," Dumbledore whispered as he stood up and prepared for what would undoubtedly be a very long day.

"Albus, what are you doing… Bloody hell, is that…" Fudge asked when he noticed the lifeless body of Voldemort.

"Voldemort, yes," said Dumbledore. "As we have been telling you for the last year, he did return."

"And you beat him?" asked Fudge.

"No," said the Headmaster. "That honor belongs to Mr. Potter."

Fudge gulped as he watched his political carrier come to an end. He had made such a public stink that You-Know-Who couldn't be back. Had put pressure on the Daily Prophet to make out Potter and Dumbledore to be considered mentally unstable so no one would believe their claims. Had placed Potter on trial for using magic to defend himself against Dementors. Had placed Deloris Umbridge within Hogwarts to slowly take it over, giving him control of the school and even agreed to allow her to use any means to drive Potter away.

Now not only was he proven wrong that You-Know-Who was back, it had been none other than Harry Potter that had beaten him once again.

Fudge was sure he would be packing up his office before the week was over.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Madam Pomfrey was busy straitening up the hospital wing after she had healed and sent off the Slytherin students that had worked with that vile Umbridge woman.

It would seem that once word quickly spread only as it could in Hogwarts that she had been dragged off into the Forbidden Forrest by a pack of Centaurs, every student that had been picked on by the Inquisitorial Squad decided it was time for a little payback.

The result was a mixture of so many jinx's and curses that left the Slytherin's looking like mutant creatures out of some 1950's Muggle science fiction movie.

Normally, she would keep students like that over night once they had been healed. However, after the last year, she felt that they needed to learn a lesson and reap what they had sowed. So, she fixed them up as quickly as she could and sent them off on their way with a smile as they had looks of fear on their faces.

She also knew that most of them had parents that the Headmaster believed to be Death Eaters, and that this little lesson would teach them that using power and fear to rule over those they believed less then them would and could bite them back in the arse, thus preventing them from wanting to join Voldemort when they were given the chance.

Madam Pomfrey was about to head down for breakfast after a long night of healing when there was a sudden flash of fire over one of the beds.

She turned just as the flash happened again over the unconscious body of Hermione Granger.

"What in the name of Merlin?" she started to ask when another flash brought Ginny Weasley to another bed along with Dumbledore's phoenix, who quickly flashed away.

"Miss Weasley, what is going on?" asked the resident healer.

"It's a long story," said Ginny. "But you really need to take a look at Hermione. She was hurt really bad by one of the Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?" asked Madam Pomfrey, not understanding how it could be possible.

However, her curiosity put aside, she set to work on healing Hermione while Ginny told her about what had happened in the Department of Mysteries and Fawkes brought Ron, Neville, and Luna to the hospital wing.

"Where's Harry?" asked Neville when he arrived.

"I haven't seen him since he ran off after Bellatrix," said Ron, which caused Neville to go pale as he thought about his parents and wondering if Harry had suffered the same fate.

"He chased after that insane woman?" asked the healer and they all nodded. "She wasn't always stable when she was a student here. Then after, when she joined You-Know-Who, she really went off the deep end."

"I don't think Azkaban helped much based on what I saw last night," said Luna.

"Anyways, after Harry ran off, Dumbledore and everyone else captured the rest of the Death Eaters and then Dumbledore went off in search of Harry," said Ginny. "That's when Fawkes came and started bringing us here."

"Smart bird that phoenix is," said Madam Pomfrey. "If Hermione hadn't received medical attention soon, she might not have made it. Thankfully, he got her here in time and she's going to be alright in a few days. The question is, what happened to Mr. Potter?"

As if to answer her question, Fawkes flamed into the hospital wing, delivering the lifeless body of Harry to his usual bed.

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to the bed and quickly began waving her wand over him, her face going pale at the lack of results.

"Merlin, no," she whispered, refusing to believe what she was seeing and preformed her scans again.

"Is Harry alright?" asked Ginny, though Madam Pomfrey didn't answer. She checked his non-existent vitals again and again till she knew there was no point anymore. Harry Potter was dead.

The healer conjured a sheet that covered his entire body before she slowly turned towards her office and said, that she needed a drink.

The four friends couldn't believe it. Harry was dead.

"H… how?" asked Ron.

"Voldemort."

They all jumped and turned to see Remus Lupin walking into the hospital wing.

"Professor Lupin," said Neville.

"It's just Remus," said Lupin. "I haven't been a professor for two years now."

"Sir, how did it happen?" asked Luna.

"Dumbledore said that Voldemort tried to posses Harry," Lupin said as he pulled back the sheet and looked down at the carbon copy of his long dead friend James. "But it would seem that there was something within Harry that Voldemort couldn't stand." A tear started to roll down his cheek. "Dumbledore used Legilimency to watch it all happen within Harry's mind… Harry used every last bit of strength he had to fight him off. Then, when he knew he didn't stand a chance of surviving… He took that bastard with him."

"You mean…" Ginny started to ask.

"Voldemort is dead," said Lupin as he wiped away his tears before covering Harry's face back up with the sheet. "Harry beat him again… This time, for good. And when I found out, I had to come and see him for myself."

Lupin was broken inside. In one night he had lost the two closest people to him. Both Sirius and Harry were gone.

They were all silent for a few moments before Ron stood up and walked over to Harry.

"No," he said. "No, I don't believe it. He can't be dead. He just can't." Ron pulled the sheet down and looked at Harry's blank face. "You're Harry bloody Potter for Merlin's sake. The Boy-Who-Lived. You survived the killing curse when you were a baby. You jumped on the back of a troll at eleven. You faced You-Know… Oh screw it. You faced Voldemort that same year and beat him again. You've faced a Basilisk, giant Acromantulas, a bloody Hungarian Horntail, not to mention this whole year of dealing with that toad. I refuse to believe that you're dead, so quit screwing around and wake up."

Ron was practically screaming as he cried at the end, and Lupin had to drag the red headed boy away.

Madam Pomfrey, who had heard what Ron said, quickly grabbed a vial of calming potion, which she made him take.

Neville, Ginny, and Luna sat in stunned silence after witnessing Ron's breakdown. The youngest Weasley male was notorious for four things. Food. Quidditch. Chess. And having the emotional range of a teaspoon. So for Ron to act the way he did to Harry's death really drove the fact home that Harry Potter was dead.

OoOoOoOoOoO

In the divination tower, Sybil Trelawney stumbled out of bed, still drunk from the night before.

Her head was spinning and she tried to make her way to the toilet, but tripped over one of her overstuffed poof chairs and landing on a pile of pillows that Professor McGonagall had placed there after finding out that the 'seer' normally tripped and fell there every morning.

"Ow," she said, her voice slightly muffled.

A head splitting migraine hit her as she sat up. Her eyes fogged over and her voice spoke as though many were talking through her at once…

"_The dark lord is vanquished, the hero shall return_

_The Order of the Shadows grows in strength and an old foe shall return_

_The leader of old shall fall and the hero shall take his place_

_Death awaits all shall the hero fail to prevent the return of the betrayer_"

Trelawney almost fell over as her eyes returned to normal and she cleared her throat.

"Oh dear," she said. "I must be coming down with something… Maybe I should cut back on the cooking sherry for a bit."

She stood up and once she managed to keep herself from falling over said, "That is after just a wee nip."

As Trelawney turned a wee nip into drinking the entire bottle over the span of half an hour, a new orb holding a prophecy appeared in the ruins of the Hall of Prophecy at the Ministry with the tag _S.P.T. about H.J.P. and M_.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.

**CHAPTER TWO – It's Always Hard to Say Goodbye**

When Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger arrived at their destination through apparation, Hermione landed on shaky legs, almost falling over before her former Defense professor grabbed her.

"You okay?" Remus asked.

"Fine," Hermione said, though she was anything but. Not only was she still feeling a little weak from the curse she had been hit with at the Ministry, inside she was an emotional wreck. Which is understandable for someone who had just woken up less than twenty four hours ago after being cursed only to find out that the one person that meant the world to you was dead.

The two of them walked past one of the many Auror's on duty for the gathering as they made their way into a small graveyard behind the church in Godric's Hollow.

"Hello Hermione," Ginny said as she approached her friends, who were all sitting in the front row. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Hermione said and suddenly had to fight the urge to laugh as she realized she was acting just like Harry would when he didn't want to talk about what was bothering him. He was always say that he was 'fine' or that 'everything was alright', and she would just continue to ask him because she knew that something was wrong. But now she would never be able to ask him how he was doing anymore, or let him convince her into her helping him with his homework when he would struggle with it or start to fall too far back because of Quidditch or trying to figure out some new mystery going on around the school, or sit under the tree by the Black Lake as she studied while listening to him and Ron talk about Quidditch or what an arse Snape is. She'd never see him smile again, or comfort him when he felt like everyone else was against him. She'd never be able to look into the green eyes of his and become lost as she tried to convince herself that she wasn't in love with him because there was no way that someone like Harry could ever love a bushy haired bossy know-it-all bookworm like her.

Unable to hold it back anymore, the damn broke and Hermione started to cry. Within seconds, both Ginny and Luna were by her side, telling her that it was alright and that Harry was in a better place and happy because he was with his parents and Sirius.

"He probably even has a little dog named Scrappy," said Luna, trying to cheer Hermione up.

It wasn't long till everyone that had been invited had shown up, while many who weren't were being held back by the Auror's on guard duty.

It was with a heavy heart that Albus Dumbledore stood before everyone that had come to pay their respects and say goodbye to Harry.

"Harry James Potter… What is there to be said about the young man that we all do not know. Everyone knows the story of how he survived the killing curse when he was just a year old. Survived after both of his parents were taken from him. Survived, only to endure hardships from his muggle relatives for ten years before finding out the truth about who he was. From the moment that Tom had tried to kill him, Harry had to live a difficult life. And yet… Never in all my years have I met a more caring and courageous wizard. In his very first year at Hogwarts, he risked his own life twice to save others. The first was against a fully grown mountain troll when Miss Granger's life was in danger, and the second was when Voldemort was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. In his second year, knowing full well that it was a Basilisk terrorizing the school, he ventured down into the Chamber of Secrets after discovering it's hidden location to save yet another student. Ginevra Weasley. In his third year, he risked his life against countless Dementors to protect his godfather, Sirius Black. A man believed to have helped Voldemort kill his parents. A man who turned out to be innocent. In his forth year, Harry's name had came out of the Goblet of Fire, forcing him to participate in a tournament that he was not prepared for. And yet, not only did he do us all proud by rising to the occasion and winning the tournament, the night of the final task, he not only witnessed the return of Voldemort, but survived a duel with a very powerful dark wizard. And now, this past year… When almost everyone seemed to turn again him, including his own government, for trying to tell everyone that Voldemort was back, he did not just accept defeat. He rose to the occasion yet again, going against the laws of the Ministry to try and prepare those who were willing to believe the truth.

"Year after year, he selflessly risked everything to try and keep those he cared for safe. Harry Potter was the physical embodiment of what it meant to be a Gryffindor. It saddens me that I did not get the chance to know the young man better than I did. He… He will be missed."

Dumbledore than sat down, allowing anyone else to say a few words.

Surprisingly, it was Ron that stood up and moved over next to the coffin floating over the open grave.

"I remember the first time I met Harry," said Ron. "It was just outside the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He… " Ron let out a weak chuckle. "He didn't know how to get onto the platform because no one told him how. So mum helped him and that was that. At the time, I didn't know who he was. He was just some other first year going to Hogwarts. When Fred and George told me that it was Harry Potter, I didn't believe them, thinking it was yet another one of their pranks. But, due to there not being enough room on the train, I ended up sharing a compartment with Harry. I'll admit that when I saw his scar, I was in awe of him. I mean, who wouldn't. There I was, eleven years old and sharing a compartment with one of the most famous wizards of our age. I'm not sure what I expected, but if anything it wasn't who he was. He just seemed… So in awe of everything magical. Like when the snack trolley came by. I didn't have any money on me to get anything, and so I was stuck eating the corned beef mum gave me. Even though I had told her like a hundred times that I don't like corned beef. Harry then pretty much bought everything right off the trolley and shared it with me. When he picked up a package of chocolate frogs, he asked me if they were real frogs… I still remember his first chocolate frog card was Dumbledore, and when the picture of him left, he wondered what happened. I didn't know it at the time, but muggle pictures don't move… I'm sure it doesn't sound like much to most of you, but its little moments like that, that I will always remember… Harry was my best mate."

Ron looks over at the coffin and places his hand on it.

"I'm going to miss you," he said before returning to his seat.

Many other people took their turns to say something about Harry. Oliver Wood shared his story about when he found out that Harry would be the Seeker for his team. Hagrid about the night he finally got Harry's Hogwarts letter to him in a small shack on a rock in the middle of the sea. Remus talked about the lessons he gave Harry to learn how to cast the patronus spell.

The only people who didn't get up to speak were either those that hadn't known Harry for very long, and Hermione. There were so many things she wanted to say, yet just couldn't bring herself to actually say them out loud.

Dumbledore then stood up and used his wand to lower the coffin into the ground, before conjuring a pile of dirt to fill in the grave, which was marked by the headstone that read…

_Harry James Potter_

_Hero – Friend_

_July 31 1980 – June 19 1996_

He would forever rest next to where his parents were buried.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Later that night in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore and McGonagall sat in silence as they drank a glass of Ogden's Finest in memory of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Albus, I'm worried about Miss Granger," said McGonagall.

"As am I," said Dumbledore. "I had expected her to say something today at the funeral, however, that fact that she didn't worries me. I believe she is taking Harry's death much harder than one would expect."

"They were best friends Albus," said McGonagall. "And if what I have heard is true, he was her first friend ever. Not to mention the obvious romantic feelings she has for him."

"Yes, I suspected as much after Christmas when she abandoned time with her family in order to make sure Harry was alright after his vision of Arthur being attacked," said Dumbledore. "Come in."

McGonagall was about to question his last statement when the door to his office opened and Snape walked in.

"One of these days you will tell me how you do that," said McGonagall.

"Headmaster," Snape said.

"Severus, what can I do for you?" asked Dumbledore.

"I just wanted to inform you that I will be leaving at the end of term," said Snape.

"Ahhh, taking a holiday now that everything is over," said Dumbledore. "I pleasant idea."

"No, I believe you've misunderstood me," said Snape. "When term is over, I shall be leaving an not coming back."

"But Severus…" Dumbledore started to say.

"Do not try to change my mind," said Snape. "I have no desire to continue teaching. I only filled in that roll when I turned against the dark lord and spy for you at the end of the first war. I remained here because you believed he would one day return, which he did. And once again, I spent the last year spying for you. Now that he is truly gone for good, I wish for nothing but a peaceful and quiet life alone."

Dumbledore eyed the potion master for a moment before saying, "If that is truly what you wish."

"It is," said Snape.

"Then you wish you the best," said Dumbledore. "And should you change your mind, the position shall always remain open for you."

Snape gave a brief nod of his head before he turned and walked out of the office, his cloak billowing behind him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The following afternoon, after instructing the Hogwarts house elves to transfer his packed up belongings to his home, Severus Snape left the grounds of the school and apparated to a large empty field in the middle of the countryside.

As he approached a large rock in the middle of the field, he pulled out his potions knife and slit open a small gash on the palm of his left hand, which he then pressed against the rock.

The rock then sank into the ground, exposing a tunnel that led deep underground, which Snape entered.

The former potions professor walked along the tunnel for nearly twenty minutes till he came to large cavernous room lines with torches.

"Welcome Severus," a voice ran out as Snape kneeled on the dirt covered floor. "What news do you bring us?"

"The war has ended," said Snape. "Potter sacrificed his life to end the life of the dark lord."

"Indeed," said a second voice. "The child of prophecy is no more. The threat to our plans is vanquished. The time has come for us to proceed."

"I am at your service," said Snape.

"As you always have been," said a third voice. "You have done the Order well by spying on the two warring factions. Our agents are all nearly in place to begin the grand plan. However, it is you that we require for a most important task."

"Whatever you wish, I shall give my life to complete," said Snape.

"We know you will," said the first voice. "Which is why it shall be you that we grant the task to free one of our own who has been imprisoned for many years."

"Surely one locked away for so long would no longer be of use to the grand plan?" asked Snape.

"He is of much use," said the third voice. "It was written long ago that this person shall be the one to bring life back to the origin. They are the only one who can open the gateway between this world and the immortal cage."

"You mean…"

"Yes," said the second voice. "We are trusting you to bring us the living key."

A small grin crossed the face of Severus Snape.

"You grant me a great honor," said Snape. "I will complete my task."

"We know you will," said the first voice. "For failure means waiting another thousand years. And failure means… Your death."

**A/N:** What is the goal of the Order of the Shadow? Who is this living key? And what about Harry? You'll have to wait to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER THREE – School's Out Forever**

**SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 – 6:53 AM**

It had taken Severus Snape nearly three months to plan how he would break the living key out of its prison, and now on this day of all days, he was ready.

Snape apparated to the edge of the wards protecting the prison and made quick work of them thanks to the set of rune stones he had acquired in Istanbul. The guards were the usual standard fare of Auror's for the country, and his training both from the Order of the Shadow, as well as his time working as a spy within the ranks of the Death Eaters, allowed him to make quick work of them, leaving a trail of lifeless bodies in his wake.

In less than ten minutes, Snape was standing outside the cell door to the one he had come to claim.

"The Order of the Shadow requests your services," Snape said as he opened the cell door. He then conjured a black hooded cloak and tossed it to the man within.

"I live to serve the Order," the man said as he raised the hood over his head, obscuring his face in shadow. "But first, I must make a stop to reacquire something that was taken from me."

And with that, both men apparated away.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 – 11:03 AM**

Hermione Granger was nervous about returning to Hogwarts. This would be her first year there without Harry. Granted, she still had Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Luna with her, but it wouldn't be the same without the raven haired, green eyed wizard. Especially with all the changes that had happened over the summer.

As the four of them spent as much time with Hermione as they could to help her deal with the loss of Harry, they had also grown much closer. At some point Neville had begun to date Ginny, and for some unknown reason, Ron and Luna had also become a couple. This, of course, left Hermione feeling much like the odd fifth wheel in their group. Yet no matter how hard she tried to give them space, none of them would hear of it, refusing to leave her alone.

While things felt awkward for Hermione on the train as she tried to read one of that years school books and ignoring the relationships going on around her, time seemed to fly by.

It was nearly three hours into the journey to Hogwarts that Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle decided to make their yearly appearance.

"Something isn't right here," Draco said as he opened their compartment door. "It's like something is missing, though I can't figure out what it is. Do you guys notice anything missing?"

Crabbe and Goyle both smiled wickedly.

"Potter," grunted Crabbe.

"Ah yes," said Draco. "Potty's gone. I wonder what happened to him… That's right. Now I remember. He's worm food."

The three Slytherin's started laughing at Draco's sad attempt at humor.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to leave Malfoy," said Hermione, who had a cold look about her.

"Or you'll do what, you filthy mudblood," said Draco.

Hermione set her book aside, pulled out her wand, and stood up.

"Or…" she said, "I'm going to body bind all three of your bastards together before tossing you off the train as I cancel the spell. Do you know what will happen to the human body falling off a train moving at this speed? Let me tell you… Mummy and daddy are going to have a very hard time identifying what is left of your lifeless body."

"You wouldn't dare," said Draco, though his voice cracked just slightly.

"Time starts now," said Hermione as she looked at her watch.

Draco stood defiantly for a moment before he started to back out of the compartment.

"Come on you two," he said. "These pathetic excuses for witches and wizards aren't worth our time."

Draco and his goons left as Hermione closed the compartment door and sat back down.

"Bloody hell," said a surprised Ron. "Who are you and what did you do to Hermione?"

"I'm just tired of his crap," said Hermione. "I've put up with it for the past five years. Plus, I'll be damned if I let anyone disrespect the memory of Harry. Hell, the whole Potter family. They all gave their lives to put an end to Voldemort."

Just then, at a few minutes before two in the afternoon, a powerful wave of magic blasted across the entire Great Britain, rocking the train from side to side.

"What the hell was that?" asked Ginny as she looked out the window with her wand in hand.

"I was powerful, whatever it was," said Neville, who also had his wand in hand.

Suddenly, a smile crept across Luna's face. She recognized that energy.

"He's back," she said.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 – 1:53 PM**

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office as he went over the last few sheets of parchment he needed to sign before the students arrived for the new year.

The summer had been a tough one for the aged Headmaster. Not only did he once again have to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he also had to find someone to teach potions.

The position for potions hadn't been that hard to fill. He had managed to talk to one of the potion mistresses' from St. Mungos to take the job.

As for Defense, since it was rumored that the job was cursed, it had taken him most of the summer before he managed to convince the Board of Governors to repeal the statute against werewolves from teaching, and thus, bringing Remus Lupin back, who just so happened to be the best person to have taught the class in the last ten years. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Board wanted to reaffirm the importance of that class after they allowed the Ministry to take control the previous year and the lack of education the students received from Deloris Umbridge. The Board knew that after the previous year, Hogwarts was viewed as a joke by the rest of the magical world, going from the premiere magical school, to nothing more than place for magical parents to tuck their children away for the better part of the year so they could have some peace and quiet.

With Remus teaching the class again, Dumbledore hoped that grades would increase and match those who had partaken in Harry's D.A. meetings last year.

"Hello, old friend."

Dumbledore's head shot up at the sound of someone in his office. Standing at the door he saw someone wearing a black hooded cloak.

The person standing there did not bother the Headmaster. What did is that he could not sense him through the wards of the school. In fact, he couldn't sense anyone but himself.

"Notice something missing, are you?" the person asked. "Don't worry, the school has been emptied. No teachers. No house elves. Just you and I… Dear friend."

"I must say that I am quite impressed," Dumbledore said in his most serine tone of voice. "Though, I must admit that I am quite surprised to see you here Gellert."

The man lowered his hood, revealing the face of an aged man, yet who extruded power and strength.

"I am surprised as well Albus," said Gellert Grindelwald. "However, it would seem fate has decided to smile kindly upon me, for I have been released early by old friends."

"You mean…"

"I do," said Grindelwald as he slowly walked around the office, looking at the various portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses and the various knick knacks Dumbledore had collected over the years.

"But I thought they were…" Dumbledore started to say.

"Gone?" finished Grindelwald. "No… No, they have just been biding their time. Waiting for the time to be right. Patience is a virtue to them. If need be, they could have waited another thousand years. However, as I understand it, the time draws near."

"Then you still intend to help them," said Dumbledore.

"Of course," said Grindelwald as he ran a finger along the empty perch were Fawkes usually was. The phoenix was currently away. "I swore an oath to them long ago to follow their teachings and do whatever must be done to achieve the ultimate goal… The very same oath you took when we were finished out seventh year here at Hogwarts."

"I was young and foolish then," said Dumbledore. "I did not know what I was agreeing to. Had I known what their aim had been, I never would have joined them."

"No… You wouldn't," said Grindelwald. "You were always far too noble for something like that. Too noble to do what must be done for the greater good."

"I know all about the greater good," said Dumbledore. "And it does not include the death of millions of innocent people."

"Innocent? HA!" Grindelwald said, a slight hint of agitation in his voice. "No one is innocent. You forget, my old friend, I saw the true face of evil in the 1940's. I've seen the horrors that both muggle and magical alike can create."

"The world has changed since then," said Dumbledore.

"Is that what you call Voldemort?" asked Grindelwald. "One man who gathered a few followers, far out numbered by the rest of the magical world, and no one does a thing to stop him. It takes an accident with a toddler to stop him. Only for him to come back and once again, the same child to give his life to stop him again… Indeed, the world has changed. In my reign, no one cowed in fear. No one just rolled over and accepted things the way it was. They did something about it. YOU did something about it."

Grindelwald was standing right behind Dumbledore now, looking out the window at the vast grounds of Hogwarts. Then, in the blink of an eye, he spins around, pulling a dagger out from within his robes, and stabs Dumbledore in the chest, puncturing one of his lungs.

"The end of the way things are is coming," Grindelwald said. "And when the lady rises… She shall cleanse this world of all sin, remaking it for those worthy of her love."

He then reached into Dumbledore's robes and pulled out his wand. "This belongs to me," he said, then twisted the dagger before pulling it out, leaving a small hole in the dying wizards chest.

As Grindelwald tucked his newly acquired wand within his robes, he pulled out a stone the size of his first carved with various runes, which he then set down on Dumbledore's desk.

"Goodbye Albus," he said before turning and leaving the Headmaster's office.

At just a few minutes before two, Gellert Grindelwald walked past the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just as a loud explosion was heard from within the walls of the castle. A castle, which started to crumble and collapse as the magic that had held it together for a thousand years was suddenly snuffed out, succumbing the ancient stone to age and decay.

OoOoOoOoOoO

At the exact moment that Hogwarts fell, a small earthquake started to rip through the village of Godric's Hallow. And in the cemetery behind the church, the ground exploded, shooting out a beam of intensely blue light into the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.

**A/N:** _Some of the reviews I've received so far has shown me that some people are a little confused by what is going on. Good. I'm trying to keep you all from guessing what is going on till I'm ready to reveal it in the story. I will say a few things though. In regards to what the Order of the Shadow is, think of the Illuminati and you'll have a good idea what they're about. Also, if you go back to the first chapter and re-read the prophecy that was made at the end, you'll notice parts of it have already come true._

_In regards to the story itself, this is not the typical Harry Potter story. This is Harry Potter done along the lines of the over the top summer blockbuster action/adventure movies that Hollywood likes to churn out year after year (hence why I basically blew up Hogwarts, because you got to blow shit up in these kinds of things). There's no hidden deep meaning to be found as a subplot. There's no character growth. It's just meant to be enjoyed without having to think._

_Someone mentioned Grindelwald stabbing Dumbledore in a review… When I first started thinking up this story, I knew Grindelwald would be one of the villains in the story (though, he isn't the big bad, that will be revealed in the next few chapters), and I knew I wanted to have a moment between him and Dumbledore before he kills him. And so, as I was writing it, I started thinking it would be way too predictable that the two of them would have a duel. That's when the idea came to me of him whipping out a knife and stabbing him. And it worked. Both for shock value (because honestly, who the hell saw that coming) and to show that Grindelwald is one seriously cold blooded bastard._

_So, with all that said, I'll stop wasting your time and get back to the story._

**CHAPTER FOUR – Back In Black**

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station, the students started to get up and gather their things before trying to open the compartment doors, finding them all to be locked.

"What the?" asked a confused Ron.

"ALL STUDENTS MUST REMAIN ON THE TRAIN!" came Professor McGonagall's magically amplified voice from outside. "I REPEAT, ALL STUDENTS STAY ON THE TRAIN!"

"What's going on?" asked Neville.

"I don't know," said Ginny, who was trying to look out the window and see if she could see anything. "But there are a lot of people running around out there. Including… Yeah, there's Tonks. And Mad-Eye. And Kingsley."

Hermione looked out the window and saw quite a large number of Auror's and Ministry personal running around.

"Alohomora," Ron said, pointing his wand at the locked compartment door before trying it and finding it still locked.

"Worth a try," he said with a shrug when the others turned to look at him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Tonks apparated into the middle of Hogsmeade after having just received an owl from the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, saying that she was needed at Hogwarts A.S.A.P.

Tonks had grumbled since it had been her day off. She had figured the Ministry wanted an Auror presence just in case the last hand full of Death Eaters that had managed to evade justice decided to attack when the students arrived.

That idea was blown from her mind the moment she saw what was left of her old school.

"Merlin's fuzzy balls," she said.

"Nice of you to join us," someone growled from beside her.

"Mad-Eye," said Tonks to the former Auror that had trained her when she first joined. "What the bloody hell happened?"

"No idea," Moody said as she stomped off up the street, and Tonks followed as the two of them passed various Auror's and Ministry personal from all different branches. "So far all we know is that just before two this afternoon, the wards notified all the teachers and house elves to evacuate the school for some unknown reason. Not long after that, a loud rumble was heard from within and the whole place came down like a house of cards."

"Death Eaters?" Tonks asked the obvious question.

"Not a chance," said Moody. "Two reasons why… Care to guess?"

Tonks looked up at what was left of the castle.

"The school was evacuated, thus saving lives instead of killing them," said Tonks and Moody nodded. "And no Dark Mark."

"Glad to see the training I gave you didn't rot away with all the times you change your looks," said Moody.

"You mean like how your sense of humor was blasted away along with your nose," said Tonks with a small smirk.

"Funny," said Moody, with no hint of mirth in his gravelly tone.

"So, the evacuation was sent through the wards, which means everyone made it out," said Tonks, thinking out loud.

"Actually, we're not sure about that," said Kingsley as he joined Tonks and Moody.

"What do you mean?" asked Tonks.

"Albus is missing," said Moody.

They were all silent for a moment, the only sounds being those from the various people running around, orders being shouted, and spells being cast to try and detect what had happened.

"Is it possible he's just late returning from a holiday?" asked Tonks, knowing it was a stupid question.

"No," said Kingsley. "Minerva saw him this morning when she gave him a very large pile of parchment to sign from the Board of Governors. Plus, even if he slipped out for a bit, he would have returned by now as he never misses the Welcoming Feast."

"So… That would mean he's…" she started to say, unable to voice her thoughts that one of the greatest wizards that had ever lived was lying dead and broken something under the remains of the castle.

"Aye," said Moody, his tone now somber.

"HELP!" someone shouted. "I NEED HELP HERE!"

"Is that Hagrid?" asked Tonks a moment before the three of them rushed off along with a few others towards the sound of the half-giants voice.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Deep within the Ministry of Magic, in the walls of the Department of Mysteries is the Hall of Prophecy, which only a few months ago was the scene of a battle between a group of students from Hogwarts now known as the Ministry Six and a group of Death Eaters.

During the battle, the Hall of Prophecy had been destroyed by various spells. Shelves ruined. Prophecy orbs shattered.

Due to the amount of damage done, and the wards put in place around each of the orbs, it had taken the small team of Unspeakables the entire summer to clean and repair the vast room.

During that time, nearly three dozen new prophecy orbs had appeared. It wasn't until now that someone was available to log them all within the ancient tome the used to record each prophecy.

As he slowly made his way down the aisle, tome in hand, dic-ta-quill copying everything that was said when he activated an orb with his wand, he had to stifle a yawn.

Despite what most people believe, the majority of prophecies were very boring. Ranging anywhere from when someone would eventually find their missing keys to when they would find true love. He even had one a little over four years ago about a flying car that would live in a forest.

Only once in a rare while would a truly life altering prophecy be made. The last one had been in the late seventies and was about Harry Potter and You-Know-Who.

The Unspeakable was half way through cataloging the new prophecies when he came across one that was glowing a slightly yellowish color instead of the standard bluish/white.

He tapped it with his wand and listened as the dic-ta-quill wrote it down.

His eyes widened as he listened to the multiple voices speak from the orb. He had heard rumors of this before when he first became and Unspeakable. Only twice in the history of the history of the world had a prophecy sounded like this.

Normally it was only one voice, and that was that of the seer.

Multiple voices meant that powers greater than any witch or wizard could fathom was sending a warning. The last time a prophecy was made with multiple voices, Atlantis had sunk beneath the waves.

Dropping the tome and the dic-ta-quill, the Unspeakable ran off to find one of his superiors and hoping that whatever the prophecy spoke of, it wasn't too late.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hagrid sat on the front step of his small hut, tears running from his beetle black eyes and into his bushy beard.

Hogwarts was gone. The place he had called home for the last fifty years was no more. And to top it all off, Dumbledore was missing and presumed dead.

Taking a long drink from the large tankard filled with Ogden's Finest, he mentally kicked himself for not making sure the castle had been emptied when the wards told everyone to leave. If he had, Dumbledore would be sitting with him. Telling him that everything would be fine and that Hogwarts would be rebuilt.

Instead, he sat alone.

This had been a bad year. First that Umbridge woman taking control of the school and not only attacking him just for breathing, but also attacking McGonagall for coming to his aid that night. Then a few days later, Harry died fighting Voldemort.

Hagrid missed Harry. He was one of the few students that didn't look down on him or think he was crazy for his love of the more interesting magical creatures.

He remembered the night he first met him. Right on his eleventh birthday when he was trying to deliver his Hogwarts letter. He remembered the joy on the young lads face when he took him to buy his school supplies and his wand. How his eyes lit up when he bought him his owl for a birthday present, which he named Hedwig.

Hedwig was now perched inside his small hut, as he had decided to take care of the snowy white owl after Harry gave his life to stop Voldemort. Hagrid thought it was the least he could do to pay the young man back for his sacrifice.

Draining the last of the firewhiskey in his tankard, Hagrid noticed a ball of light in the sky. He watched as it grew larger and larger as it headed right towards him.

BOOM

The ball of light crashed into the pumpkin patch right next to his hut, leaving a large, smoking crater behind.

Slowly, Hagrid made his way towards where the light had impacted the earth and looked over the edge.

At first, he saw nothing but smoke. However, as the smoke cleared, he could see something there.

No, not something. Someone.

"Blimey," Hagrid said as he stared in shock before he turned and shouted as loud as he could, "HELP! I NEED HELP HERE!"

When he saw people start to come towards him, Hagrid looked back into the crater, unbelieving what he was seeing.

Curled up in the fetal position was none other than Harry Potter.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER FIVE – The Battle Helm**

Madam Rosmerta sat behind the bar of her empty pub, the Three Broomsticks, as she pondered what she was going to do now that Hogwarts was gone. No Hogwarts means no students. No students means no Hogsmeade weekends. No Hogsmeade weekends means that she, along with the rest of the shops, will see a very large drop in business. The average Hogsmeade weekend usually brings in enough galleons to allow her to remain open the entire summer holidays without a single customer and not have to worry about how she would be able to pay her bills.

She figured she could always ask Aberforth how he manages to stay open with so few customers.

Madam Rosmerta was snapped out of her thoughts when the door burst open and a rush of people came in.

"On the table," one of them said.

"Is he breathing?" someone asked.

She noticed Hagrid was carrying something wrapped in a wool blanket in his arms and hoped that it wasn't one of his pets. That was the last thing she needed.

"How the hell did he get here?" someone else asked.

"Thought he was dead," another person said.

"He was," a witch with pink hair said. "I was at the funeral."

Hagrid set whatever was in the blanket on one of the larger tables as Madam Pomfrey came forward and started waving her wand over it as she checked for vitals.

"Pulse is week," said the healer. "His magical core is slightly fluctuating."

"What does that mean?" asked McGonagall.

"I don't know," said Madam Pomfrey. "I've never seen anything like this before. But I can say for sure is that this is really him. There's no sign of any glamour charms or polyjuice in his system."

Madam Rosmerta, who had been inching closer to see who was on her table, gasped when she saw the locks of raven black hair and the faint outline of a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I still do not understand why you felt the need to go to the school," said Snape as he and Grindelwald appeared in the middle of the Nevada desert.

"When Albus defeated me all those years ago, he took my wand as a trophy," said Grindelwald.

"It's just a wand," said Snape. "The Order could easily acquire you a new one."

"The wand is no ordinary wand," said Grindelwald as they started walking. "The wand is one of the keys needed to bring her back."

"You mean…" Snape started to ask.

"Yes," said Grindelwald. "It is her wand. One of the seven pieces needed to draw her soul back to this world."

The two walked in silence for a few minutes before Snape asked, "Where are we headed?"

"The wizards of the country have a hidden district here," said Grindelwald. "Or more correctly, under our feet. They hide it in plain site from the muggles as a military base rumored to hide the remains of creatures from the stars. It is there that another one of the pieces is kept hidden."

"Shouldn't we acquire more followers to aid us in finding this piece?" asked Snape.

"No need," said Grindelwald.

It wasn't long before the reached the front gate where two men dressed as American soldiers stood guard.

"This is a restricted area," said one of the guards. "You're going to have to leave now."

"I think not," said Grindelwald.

In the blink of an eye, his wand slipped out of his robes and into his hand. Before the guards knew what was happening, two flashes of green light had taken their lives.

"I would prepare yourself," said Grindelwald and he shuck off his black robes.

With a flick of his wand, the gate was torn open, causing alarms to sound throughout the base.

Snape pulled out his wand as the two of the walked past the gate and onto the ground of the base that hid the entrance to a hidden wizarding village.

Dozens of men and women came running out with wands in hand.

Grindelwald just watched them all with a smile on his face just moments before he swiped his wand in a long arc.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was late that night when the teachers of Hogwarts and various Ministry officials escorted the students off the train and set them up for the night in various magical tents based on their year and house.

The students were all quickly informed about the destruction of Hogwarts for reasons unknown, and that the following afternoon, the train would be taking them back to London, essentially canceling the school year while the castle was rebuilt.

The only students who weren't shown to the tents were Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna.

Professor McGonagall had personally claimed them from their compartment and brought them over to the Three Broomsticks.

"Professor, what's going on?" asked Hermione.

"To be honest, I am not entirely sure," said McGonagall. "A lot had happened in the past twelve hours. First, the castle was destroyed."

The five of them gasped in surprise.

"Albus is also missing, and we fear that he might have still been inside when Hogwarts collapsed," said McGonagall. "But this isn't the main reason I brought you here."

"It's Harry," Luna said, earning strange looks from her friends and a look of surprise from the Transfiguration teacher.

"Miss Lovegood, what makes you think something has happened to Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall.

"I do not think," said Luna. "I know. I felt his aura this afternoon. Where is he?"

Luna looked around, as though expecting to see Harry sitting at another table, enjoying a butterbeer.

"Luna… Sweets… Harry's gone," said Ron.

"I'm afraid Miss Lovegood is actually correct," said McGonagall, which earned her surprised looks from the others.

"That's not possible," said Hermione as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. "Harry's dead… He's… He's gone. He can't be back."

Professor McGonagall sat down next to Hermione and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Granger… Hermione," she said. "Believe me, I know what a shock this is. In fact, it's been a few hours and I still have trouble believing it myself. But Harry is alive somehow. Hagrid found him just outside his home, unconscious. Madam Pomfrey checked him herself and she guarantees that it really is him."

Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and asked, "Where… Where is he? Can I see him?"

"He's still unconscious," said McGonagall. "He's upstairs in one of the rooms while we wait for his magical core to stabilize."

"Stabilize?" asked Neville.

"Whatever brought Mr. Potter back has caused a flux within his magical core," answered McGonagall. "While we're unsure what has caused it, Madam Pomfrey assures me that by morning, it should return to normal and he should wake up."

After a quick meal, the five of them were shown to their rooms on the second floor of the Three Broomsticks, which Professor McGonagall had acquired for them, as she knew they would want to be close when Harry woke up.

In the middle of the night, Hermione snuck out of the room she was sharing with Ginny and Luna and slipped quietly into Harry's room.

The bushy haired witch couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp when she saw him on the bed sleeping.

At first she thought he looked exactly like he had before he died. However, as she moved closer, she could tell he had changed a bit. He seemed to be a little taller. Gone was the slightly frail look he had after so many years of being underfed by the Dursley's. Not only had he filled out, but there was also a faint definition of some muscles to his body. His hair was a little longer and shaggy looking, which she thought looked kind of cute on him.

All in all, Hermione had to admit that for someone who was supposed to be dead, Harry Potter looked good.

Pulling up a chair next to the bed, Hermione sat down, determined to wait by his side until he woke up.

Downstairs, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, and Remus sat together at a table, sipping from bottles of butterbeer while Moody's magical eye was looking up.

"Call it," said Moody.

Remus pulled out a pocket watch and said, "Two thirty six."

Remus, Kingsley, and Moody all groaned while Tonks smiled triumphantly. The three men then reached into the pockets and pulled out five galleons each, which they handed to the now green haired Auror.

"How did you know?" asked Kingsley in his deep voice.

"I was at Grimmauld Place last Christmas," said Tonks as she fingered her winnings. "You remember, when Harry was blaming himself for what happened to Arthur?"

They all nodded.

"Well, she doesn't know that I know, but each night, Hermione snuck out of the room she was sharing with Ginny and slipped into Harry's room," said Tonks. "I don't even think Ron knows about it since the boy could sleep through huge war going on around him."

"You mean they…" Remus started to ask.

"Shagged?" asked Tonks. "No. She just held him and comforted him. It was the same every night during the Christmas holidays. Within thirty minutes of going to bed, she would leave hers and slip into his. Kind of sweet when you think about it."

"And why didn't you say anything before now?" asked Remus.

"Sirius," said Tonks. "You know as well as I do that if he found out, they stood about as good of a chance not being teased about it as a muggle would have in a house of Death Eaters."

Remus couldn't help but agree with Tonks on that. Sirius really would have teased the two of them about it nonstop till eventually Hermione finally got annoyed and pulled her wand on him.

"Alright, enough of this crap," said Moody as he finished his drink. "There's work to be done. Remus, you and Shacklebolt head to Godric's Hallow. I want to know what happened there around the time Potter's body left his grave."

"Shouldn't we just be happy that somehow he's back and let it go?" asked Tonks.

"Not yet," said Moody. "We don't know what brought him back. If it's some plot of some dark witch or wizard we don't know about, Potter could be a threat."

When Moody looked away, Tonks stuck her tongue out at the grizzled reinstated Auror.

"And just for that, you're on watch duty," said Moody. "Don't let anyone who isn't supposed to up those stairs."

Moody, Kingsley, and Remus stood up and proceeded to leave.

"I hate that bloody eye," mumbled Tonks as she signaled for another drink.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Grindelwald closed his eyes and breathed in deeply as the last guard fell dead before him.

"How I missed the feel of battle," he said. "That was one of the reasons I enjoyed the fact that the Order placed me within Hitler's ranks. I might not have agreed with his actions, but when it came to battle the British and American's while hunting down magical relics… No greater pleasure then watched a foe fall before you in defeat… That's how I came across this wand."

Snape arched at eyebrow at the wizard.

"It was in China," said Grindelwald. "Hidden deep within a mountain. When the council discovered the Lady's plans, they hid her objects on the far reaches of the world to prevent them from coming together and freeing her. A group of American wizards discovered our attempts at getting the wand and attempted to stop us. Nineteen members of the S.S. were killed before I found the chamber containing the wand. Five minutes after that, the American's were dead and the Order had finally obtained the first relic of the Lady. Sadly, it wasn't long after that when I dueled with Albus and lost.

"He knew of the wand because he was once a member of the Order of the Shadow."

Snape looked at Grindelwald in shock, and the elder wizard chuckled.

"You did not think Albus had a darker side, did you?" he asked.

"Dumbledore always worked for the light," said Snape. "He always worked for the Greater Good."

At this, Grindelwald started to really laugh.

"The Greater Good," he said, "was what the Lady once called her plan. It was the motto of the Order till Albus left and corrupted it for his own means. He even took the name of the Order and created his own, changing the darkness that we prefer to work in into the light by using a creature of light."

"So, if Dumbledore was one of us, what happened?" asked Snape, who was for the first time in many years, curious about something.

"His sister happened," said Grindelwald. "She discovered that he was a member of the Order, and when the Nine found out, they ordered him to kill her. Albus of course, refused and left. Knowing that he was more valuable alive, they sent an assassin to kill her. I was young and brash then. He caught me just as I ended her life… It was that reason he came after me during the second Great War. There was no sense of right or wrong in his actions. He didn't stop me to protect the wizarding world from a dark wizard. It was vengeance. Pure and simple… He would have killed me had there not been witnesses that stood by as we dueled. But that would have ruined his stance of being such a firm believer in the light. Ah, here we are."

The two of them reached a very large steel door. Grindelwald held up his wand and began chanting some kind of spell. Over the next ten minutes, there were shimmers of light as the various wards began to fall, and soon, the steel door began to melt and fade away.

Grindelwald stepped into the large vault and picked up the lone object.

Snape could feel the power radiating from the object. There was a hum of magic in the air as the wand connected to what Grindelwald held.

"I never thought I would ever lay eyes upon it," Snape breathlessly said.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Grindelwald. "The Battle Helm of the Lady. The one true witch… Morgana."


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.

**CHAPTER SIX – A Brief History**

"I love you Hermione," Harry thought just moments before he felt his soul ripped from his body, taking the spiritual essence of Voldemort with him.

It was a pain unlike any he had ever felt before. To him, it felt like the cruciatus curse times a hundred.

He could hear the screams coming from what was left of the bastard that had murdered his parents, but couldn't see anything as he was blinded by an intense white light.

Then suddenly…

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat up gasping for air, his body covered in a light sheen of sweat. He tried to look around, but his vision was blurry, meaning he wasn't wearing his glasses.

"Harry?" someone whispered from beside him, and a moment later, he felt someone hand him his glasses.

As his vision came into focus, he saw he was laying on a bed underneath a patchwork quilt in a quaint little room. Looking out the window, he could see the village of Hogsmeade, which told him he must have be in a recreation of the Three Broomsticks.

Turning to the direction of the voice, he saw Hermione sitting there, looking quite nervous.

"Well, at least I made it to Heaven," Harry said.

"What?" asked Hermione, confused by what he had just said.

"Heaven," Harry repeated. "I mean… I know I'm dead. I gave up my life to save everyone. And since you're here, it must be Heaven."

Hermione couldn't help but blush a little as she looked away.

"Harry… You're… You're not dead," Hermione said after a moment of silence. "I mean… You were. But you're alive again."

"I'm alive?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded.

Harry let out a cry for joy as he jumped out of the bed and hugged Hermione.

"I'm alive!" he shouted as he spun them around before setting her down. "I'm… Also naked," he noted as he look down.

Harry quickly yanked the quilt from the bed and covered himself up as his cheeks burned in embarrassment.

Hermione also blushed, though hers was more from the sudden thoughts that entered her head upon seeing Harry in all his glory.

"So," said Harry as he finished covering himself with the quilt. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" asked Hermione.

"Bring me back," said Harry. "I mean, you are the most brilliant witch I've ever met, so if anyone could do it, it would be you… Also, how long have I been gone?"

"Well… It's been close to three months since… You know," said Hermione.

"And Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"Gone," said Hermione. "And you'll be glad to know that Fudge was sacked a week later. Especially when everyone found out he had ordered Umbridge to do anything to silence you… Speaking of which, the toad is currently enjoying a lifetime stay at Azkaban, along with anyone that was found baring the Dark Mark."

"Okay," said Harry. "And what about how you brought me back?"

"I didn't," said Hermione as she sat back down. "No one knows how you came back. Just that you suddenly appeared next to Hagrid's hut."

"Wow," said Harry as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Wait, if I appeared next to Hagrid's, why aren't I in the hospital wing?"

Hermione looked away from Harry, unsure of how to tell him the news about the school.

"Hermione?" said Harry and she refused to look at him. "Hermione, what aren't you telling me?"

"It's gone, Harry," she said quietly. "Hogwarts is gone… Sometime yesterday… It was completely destroyed."

"WHAT?" shouted Harry as she stood up and before she knew it, Harry was running out of the room wearing nothing but a quilt wrapped around him. She ran after her best friend, trying to stop him, however after growing up being chased by his cousin and his gang, Harry was too quick.

She found him at the gates of the school, falling to his knees as he stared at what remained of the first true place he ever considered home.

Ginny and Luna, who had the room right next to Harry's had heard when he had woken up. The two of them smiled and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Harry was alive and sounding well based on his cry of joy of being alive. However, they both panicked when they had heard his response to finding out about Hogwarts and opened their door just in time to see him run off.

The two girls rushed to Ron and Neville's room, waking them both up and dragging them outside. At first, the two boys argued until they were told Harry was awake and had run off.

When they went outside, they saw people talking and pointing as they looked at the road leading from the village up towards the remains of the school.

Following the road, they came to a stop when they found Harry on the ground as Hermione held him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Are you sure about this?" asked the head Unspeakable, who had just read over the report that had just come in from the Hall of Prophecy.

"Mostly," said the other Unspeakable. "As you know, prophecies aren't one hundred percent. Most times they never come true or if they do, it might not happen for hundreds or thousands of years from now."

"But you don't think that's the case here," said the head Unspeakable.

"No," said the other Unspeakable. "Not after the report that came into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement a few hours ago."

"Yes, I saw that included here," said the head Unspeakable as he looked through the small stack of parchment he had before him. "If this report is accurate and Grindelwald has in fact escaped…" The head Unspeakable trailed off for a moment as he started looking through various other stacks of parchment.

"Sir?"

"You heard what happened yesterday at Hogwarts, correct?" asked the head Unspeakable.

"Of course… You don't think…"

"It's too close to not be possible," said the head Unspeakable. "Grindelwald escapes and Hogwarts gets destroyed with Dumbledore missing and possibly dead… And it does fit the prophecy. Grindelwald was an old foe of Dumbledore's, and if Dumbledore is in fact dead…"

"Then who is the hero? And the betrayer with the name 'M'?"

"I don't know who the hero is," said the head Unspeakable. "As for the betrayer… Tell me, how well did you do in your History of Magic class?"

"Not bad. Then again, Binns was the teacher so it was mostly learning it on my own because I could barely stay awake in his class."

"What about the time of Merlin?" asked the head Unspeakable.

"Royal wizard to the kingdom of Camelot. Secretly trained as an apprentice under Gaius due to then king, Uther Pendragon's fear of magic."

"And what do you know about Uther's daughter?" asked the head Unspeakable.

The other Unspeakable's eyes shot wide open. "You mean…"

"Yes," said the head Unspeakable. "Morgana… What I am about to tell you isn't widely known. More than likely, it's something that sounds like it should be printed in the Quibbler… There is a secret organization that believes that Morgana is the one true witch. The witch that all other witches derive their powers from. Before then there were nothing but wizards. They view her as the savior of the world because she will one day return and cleanse all those she deems unworthy."

"Sounds like You-Know-Who."

"Morgana makes You-Know-Who look like a muggleborn first year with all of her powers," said the head Unspeakable. "Supposedly, stopping her nearly killed Merlin. And when he did, he bound her magic into six items. Her wand. A battle helm. A battle plate said to be able to withstand the killing curse. A gauntlet. And a cloak. After he bound her magic within these items, he sent the Knights of the Round Table to various points across the world to keep them separate. To keep them safe."

"And the prophecy says she will return unless…"

"Unless the hero who has returned can stop her," said the head Unspeakable.

"Then we need to find out who this hero is."

"I agree, but…" the head Unspeakable said, and then stopped when the door to his office opened. It was one of the recently hired Unspeakables.

"Have you guys heard?" the new Unspeakable asked.

"Heard what?" asked the head Unspeakable.

"It's all over the wireless," said the new Unspeakable. "Harry Potter is back."

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I had a bit of writers block that didn't go away till about 4am, and even then, this isn't my favorite chapter. It's pretty much all filler, but I needed to get it done so I can get the Unspeakables to find out about Harry and then be able to get the adventure going.

Also, for those wondering why Harry thinks he's in heaven when he sees Hermione, remember that the last time he saw her she had been hit by that curse in the Department of Mysteries. And yes, while Neville had said she was still alive, but weak, and after just returning from the dead himself, it's easy to understand why he would think she might not have made it and they were in the afterlife together.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.

**CHAPTER SEVEN – Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It…**

Harry felt himself shoved back into a chair just moments before the rough burlap sack that had been placed over his head was removed.

"What the fuck is going on?" asked a very angry Harry. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I apologize if our Gatherers were a little forceful Mr. Potter," said a man in the corner wearing a hooded cloak, his face hidden in shadows. "However, it was of the utmost importance to meet with you right away and sending an owl would have taken too long as time is not on our side."

"That doesn't give you the right to kick someone's door down and start stunning people and kidnap them," said Harry, remembering the chaotic scene within the Three Broomsticks just a short while ago.

"As I said, I apologize," said the hooded man.

"Fine, you apologize, now let me go," said Harry.

"Not until we've had a chance to talk," said the hooded man. "You see, you are a child of prophecy."

"Is that was this is about?" asked Harry. "That stupid fucking orb? Look, I don't know what it contained. It was smashed and I never got the chance to hear it."

"That prophecy matters not to us," said the hooded man. "It has been fulfilled and if the orb still remained would be nothing more than a fancy paperweight. No… There is another prophecy involving you."

Harry was silent for a moment before he said, "Bloody hell… You guys are from the Department of Mysteries."

"We are," said the hooded man.

"Well, in that case, your security sucks balls," said Harry.

"Excuse me?" asked the hooded man.

"Your security… It sucks," said Harry. "I mean, not only did a bunch of school kids manage to break in there, but so did a dozen Death Eaters, some of which were the recent escapees from Azkaban. If that doesn't scream security flaws, I don't know what does."

"You assume we didn't know about any of that," said the hooded man.

"I don't assume shit," said Harry. "If you had known, you would have done something. It wasn't like any of what was going on was quiet. I'm sure if people were around, they would have heard the spell fire three floors up. So don't try and cover your faults with bullshit answers… Now. Tell me why the fuck I am here?"

"As I said, you are a child of prophecy," said the hooded man.

"Yeah, I got that part," said Harry. "How about telling me what this stupid prophecy is so I can go back to trying to live a normal, quiet life."

"I am afraid I am not allowed to divulge that information," said the hooded man.

"Not allowed to divulge…" Harry started to say, his anger rising quickly. When he tried to lunge for the hooded man so he could punch his face in, the two other hooded men standing next to him were much quicker in holding him back against the chair.

"I understand that you might be upset," the hooded man said.

"Oh, I'm beyond upset," said Harry. "I'm getting right pissed off."

"Enough," someone said from the shadows.

Harry and the hooded men all turned to see a slightly elderly man walking towards them.

"Let him go," he said and the two hooded men holding Harry released him. "Leave us."

The three hooded men all looked at each other for a moment before they all left the room, leaving Harry and the elderly man alone.

"I apologize Mr. Potter for your abduction, however as it was explained, time is of the most importance," he said, conjuring a seat across from Harry and sitting down. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Damascus, and I am the head Unspeakable of the Department of Mysteries."

"Nice to meet you," said Harry. "You heard my thoughts on your security, right?"

Damascus chuckled a bit. "I did," he said. "However, I shut down our security protocols that night. You see, I had it on good authority that followers of You-Know-Who would attempt to break in and steal something. What, I did not know. At the time I believed it to be our collection of Time Turners."

"Time Turners?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Oh yes," said Damascus. "In a war, they would have been quite effective. Imagine you have only five soldiers. By repeated use of the Time Turner, those five could become a force of one hundred, with each group of five attacking different places all at the same time, making your army look much grander than it truly is. Which is why I had tracking charms placed on each of them. You see Mr. Potter, I did believe you and Professor Dumbledore about You-Know-Who returning. We found the cemetery the ritual was preformed at, as magic like that falls within our jurisdiction. However, our findings were sealed by our former Minister because he refused to accept the truth."

"Well, nice to know that not all of the Ministry is full of complete fucking idiots," said Harry.

"Sadly, the majority of those that have control are," said Damascus. "Anyways, we did not suspect that the Death Eaters were in fact, here for a prophecy about you and You-Know-Who. If I had, I would not have shut our security measures down that night in an attempt to expose that You-Know-Who was back as well as capture his followers. Especially if I had known you and your friends would have shown up."

"Fair enough," said Harry. "Now, about why the hell I'm here."

"Yes, let's," said Damascus as he pulled out a small stack of parchment. "It would seem that around the moment you defeated You-Know-Who, a prophecy was made. Normally I wouldn't put much stock into a prophecy as most of the time, even if they do come true, can take a very long time before it happens. However, three of the four lines have already come to pass."

Damascus handed the sheet of parchment with the prophecy written on it to Harry, who read it.

"So, you think I'm this hero who has returned?" asked Harry and Damascus nodded. "The leader of old would be Dumbledore… Which means he is dead."

"Our files recorded the end of his magic at the same time witnesses viewed Hogwarts collapsing," said Damascus.

"You can tell when people die?" asked Harry.

"We do," said Damascus. "It was something we implemented in the mid 1800's after a dark wizard had murdered the Minister for Magic and took his place, allowing him to implement all sorts of new laws for his rule."

"Makes sense," said Harry. He then reread the prophecy. "Who is till old foe?"

"That is where things become… Interesting," said Damascus. "A few days before Professor Dumbledore's death, a very dangerous criminal somehow escaped and killed every guard within the prison. Gellert Grindelwald."

"Grindelwald, as in THE Grindelwald?" asked a surprised Harry.

"The very same," said Damascus. "He was dangerous back then, and as you can tell by his recent actions, he is dangerous now."

"And you want me to stop him before he can bring this… Betrayer back, whoever that is," said Harry.

"Yes," said Damascus. "Normally I would not ask a sixteen year old to save the world, but…"

"The prophecy," Harry said, holding up the parchment. "Got it."

Harry sighed as he got up and paced around the room. All he wanted was a peaceful life. Play some Quidditch. Maybe spend a little time with Hermione in a broom closet as the two of them snogged each other senseless. Instead everyone was once again looking to him to save their collective arses. It seemed that no matter what, he could not escape being the hero. Not even in death.

"Alright," Harry finally said as he turned to look as Damascus. "I'll do it."

"Good," said Damascus.

"But I'll need a few things," said Harry.

"Which are?" asked Damascus.

"First, I'll need the trace taken off of me," said Harry. "It wont do me or anyone else any good if I go to face Grindelwald only to start having owls dropping notices about being in trouble for underage magic."

"Agreed," said Damascus.

"Portkeys," said Harry. "Obviously I'll need those to be able to get around."

"Agreed," said Damascus.

Harry then grinned and said, "I'll also need a team of people I can trust."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Two hours later, Harry was standing in a conference room as he looked at Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. All five of them looked like they might be sick.

"They can't be serious," said Neville.

"They are," said Harry. "There's a prophecy that basically says only I can stop this. However, I won't do it without your help. I can't do it without your help. I need you guys. All of you."

"This isn't going to be like when we thought we were going to rescue Sirius," said Hermione.

"No, it isn't," said Harry. "This time we know what we're walking into. Plus, the odds are in own favor. Then it was the six of us against a dozen Death Eaters… Death Eaters. Psychotic nut jobs that get off on causing pain and death. This is just one person. We've survived worse. Hell, we all survived a year of Umbridge."

None of them could help but laugh a little.

"I know it sounds scary because of it being Grindelwald," Harry continued. "Hell, when I found out, I nearly wet myself. But if there is anything I have learned over the years since I joined the wizarding world is that you cannot fight fate. You cannot fight destiny. I tried with Voldemort and he just kept coming back. I had to die in order to stop him. And by some higher power, I was brought back to stop someone yet again."

"Yeah, but that's you," said Ron. "None of us are mentioned. What if we go and we all die?"

"You wont," said Harry. "I promise that I will do whatever it takes to make sure we all survive this. If that means that I think things are getting to difficult and leaving you all and finishing it myself, so be it."

"That would never happen," said Luna. "All of us would follow after you. Just like we did when we went to the Department of Mysteries for your godfather."

"Luna's right," said Ginny. "We stuck by you then, and we'll stick by you now."

"I think you are all mental," said Ron.

"So does that mean you're out?" asked Harry,

"And let you take all the glory?" asked Ron with a smirk. "Not bloody likely."

"Language Ron," said Hermione and as soon as she looked away from him, he stuck his tongue out at her, causing Ginny and Luna to giggle.

"Alright, so we are all in agreement to do this?" asked Harry and they all nodded. "Good. I guess I'll go tell them."

"Wait," said Neville. "How badly do they want us for this?"

"Well, considering when they came to get me that stunned a room full of people, including three Auror's, I'd say pretty badly. Why?" asked Harry and Neville suddenly got a very mischievous grin on his face.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Damascus was in the middle of talking to one of his employees when the door to the conference room opened and Harry walked out. He noticed that his friends remained just inside the room watching.

"Well?" asked Damascus. "What's the verdict?"

"They'll do it," said Harry. "But they want a few things first. Nothing big really."

Damascus suddenly got a bad feeling in his stomach.

"They want to get paid, obviously," said Harry. "One million galleons each."

The Unspeakable that Damascus had been talking to scoffed at this, but Damascus put a hand up to silence him. "Go on," he said cautiously.

"Neville wants the Ministry to pay for top of the line medical care for his parents," said Harry, reading from a folded sheet of parchment he pulled from his pocket. "Ginny wants a Firebolt and the events from her first year at Hogwarts wiped from her record. Ron would like for you to arrange for him to be the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons as soon as he turns seventeen. Hermione wants lifetime access to the Ministry library and archives room. And Luna would like every single file you have on Nargles, Wrackspurts, Heliopaths, Blibbering Humdingers, and Crumple-Horned Snorkaks."

Ron made an exaggerated clearing of his throat.

"Oh, and none of us want to pay taxes," said Harry. "Ever."

**A/N:** There you have it. The adventure is about to begin. I have to say that so far this has been my favorite chapter to write. It was just fun.

Also, I would like to point out that credit for the last scene goes to the movie Armageddon by Michael Bay when Bruce Willis and the rest of them basically black mail the government for them helping save the world from the asteroid.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.

**CHAPTER EIGHT – The Adventure Begins**

"I can't believe I'm going to be Keeper for the Cannon's," said an excited Ron as he and his friends suddenly appeared.

"Yes, we heard you the first thousand times," said an annoyed sounding Ginny. "What are we doing here?"

They all looked around and saw that they were standing not that far from the remains of Hogwarts.

"I don't know," said Harry as he tucked the All Purpose Portkey that Damascus had given him into his pocket. "I was about to send us to one of the places they told us about when I felt something tell me that we should come here first."

"Like what?" asked Neville as Harry started walking towards the rubble.

Suddenly, Harry stopped when he noticed something sticking out from a pile of stone.

"No way," he whispered to himself before running forward towards the shimmering light that he could see.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, who was running to catch up to him.

A smile enveloped Harry's face as he reached down into the opening, and when he pulled his hand out, he was gripping the hilt of the Sword of Gryffindor.

"How did it survive?" asked Neville as he joined them.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Grindelwald set the rune covered stone on Dumbledore's desk before turning and leaving the office.

"Goodbye Albus," he said as the doors closed behind him.

Dumbledore, struggling for air due to one of his lungs being punctured, slowly stood up and made his way over towards where the Sorting Hat rested on a shelf.

"I need you to do a favor for me old friend," Dumbledore said.

"Anything you wish Headmaster," said the Sorting Hat.

"I need you to guard the sword as you once did before," said Dumbledore. "I believe that it might come in handy if anyone finds out what Gellert is up to and is in time to stop them."

"Of course," said the Sorting Hat.

Dumbledore then picked up the Sorting Hat and the Sword of Gryffindor, and using his last bit of strength and energy, muttered a spell as she placed the sword inside the hat.

Just as he finished, the dying Headmaster fell to the floor as the last bit of his life faded away and a brilliant flash of blue light exploded out from the rune covered stone.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry pulled out his wand and transfigured a small stone into a sheath for the sword, which he then strapped to his back. After checking to make sure that he could easily pull it out when he needed it and satisfied, he turned to look at his friends.

"Alright," said Harry as he walked over to the join them.

"So where are we going now?" asked Luna.

"Nevada," said Harry. "That's in America. It's the only known location Damascus had on one of the items that Grindelwald will be after. If we're lucky, he hasn't been there yet and all we'll have to do is wait for him to come to us."

"And if we're not lucky?" asked Ginny as Harry pulled the A.P.P.K. out of his pocket.

"Hopefully there will be some kind of clue as to where he went," said Harry.

They all placed a finger on the A.P.P.K. and Harry tapped it with his wand. A second later, they six of them vanished.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I think I'm going to be sick," muttered Ron and they left the hidden magical city under the Nevada desert a few hours later.

"He killed them all," said Ginny. "How… How could he do that?"

"I don't think he did," said Neville. "While Grindelwald is powerful and an acclaimed duelist, he would have needed someone to watch his back."

Harry noticed Hermione sitting on a large rock, her body shaking as she tried to fight back the tears. He quickly joined her and pulled her close, holding her as the damn finally broke.

"How could he do that?" she asked as she burrowed her head into his chest. "All those people. Men. Women. Children… All of them dead."

"I don't know," said Harry, feeling his anger rise at the horror he had seen. "But I swear we'll stop him."

"How?" asked Hermione. "We don't even know where to look for him."

"I might have a way," said Luna, causing everyone to look at her. "My father knows a wizard in Taipei. It's how we first found out about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. He's an expert on all sorts of things. He might know what Grindelwald is after and where we can find them."

Harry looked at everyone else and asked, "What do you guys think?"

"Whatever Luna wants, you know I'll agree to it," said Ron as he came up behind his blonde girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her.

"It couldn't hurt," said Neville.

"It's not like we have any other leads," said Ginny.

Harry then looked at Hermione, who nodded in return.

"Alright," Harry said as he and Hermione stood up. "Then I guess we're going to Taipei… Now all I need to know is where the hell is Taipei."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Grindelwald walked into the large cavern and kneeled down.

"You have summoned me?" he asked.

"We have," said a voice. "It has come to our attention that Harry Potter is alive."

"WHAT?" shouted Snape, who was waiting just outside the large cavernous room. He stormed in and looked around. "Impossible. Potter is dead."

"Who is this Harry Potter?" asked Grindelwald.

"He's a brat," said Snape. "A boy who harbors delusions that he is important."

"He is important," said the voice. "He has vanquished the dark wizard known of Voldemort twice in his life time."

"You mean The-Boy-Who-Lived?" asked Grindelwald.

"A boy who was just lucky," said Snape with a sneer. "And it is impossible for him to be back. He's dead. I saw the body."

"The Powers That Be have returned him to the mortal coil," said the voice. "He is prophesized to be able to prevent the return of the one true witch. That cannot be allowed to happen. Morgana must return."

"Then I shall return him to the land of the dead," said Grindelwald. "Before he can prevent the plan."

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked Snape. "The boy has beaten a dark wizard that even the great Albus Dumbledore could not defeat."

"I know of a wizard in Brazil," said Grindelwald. "This wizard is well known in certain circles for being able to obtain… Certain things. I shall pay him a visit and collect what we need in order to stop Harry Potter."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry and his friends entered a strange little shop that was crowded with far too much stuff for sale. And not all of it normal. Next to a Coke machine was a basket full of monkey paws. Neville looked at it and shook his head as he wondered what this 'Coke' thing was.

From behind the counter a man started speaking to them in Mandarin. Harry was about to say that he didn't understand when Luna responded in the same language.

"Did you know she spoke Mandarin?" whispered Hermione.

"Not a clue," Harry whispered back. "Then again, I had no idea she and Ron were together. When did that happen?"

"A few weeks into summer," said Hermione. "From what Ginny told me, they just started spending time together after school let out until one day she walked in on them snogging like there was no tomorrow."

Harry had to stifle a laugh at the mental image he had of a shocked Ginny walking in on Ron and Luna snogging.

"Well, at least that's all she walked in on," said Harry. "Could have been a lot worse."

"I don't want to think about that," said Hermione. "That's just…" She shivered at just the thought of it.

"Awww, come on," said Harry with a teasing smirk. "What's wrong with them expressing their love for each other. Her crying out to empty his Wrackspurts into her. His pale, freckled bottom moving up and down."

"I think I'm going to be sick," groaned Hermione as she started to gag and covered her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny as she moved closer to them.

"Hermione was telling me about how you guys found out about Ron and Luna," said Harry.

"Then why does Hermione look like she's eaten a rancid Niffler?" asked Ginny and so Harry grinned and repeated what he had said to Hermione. "That's disgusting… Eugh, now I have that image stuck in my head."

"What image?" asked Neville and Ginny whispered in his ear what Harry had just told her. Neville then glanced over at Ron and then at Luna, who was still talking to the man behind the counter as they looked at a map of some kind. "I don't know," he finally said. "I don't think his bottom would be pale. I think Luna might be the kind of witch that likes to spank her wizard."

"You two are disgusting," said Ginny as she and Hermione quickly moved away from Harry and Neville, who were now laughing.

"Well, I have good news and bad news," Luna said as she joined them after she finished talking to the man behind the counter.

"What's the bad news?" Harry asked, dreading what he was about to hear.

"They don't have any chocolate frogs," said Luna, turned to Ron with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ron said with a shrug.

Harry shook his head. He should have known that bad news to Luna wouldn't mean the normal sense of bad news.

"What's the good news?" asked Harry.

"Xin believes that Grindelwald will need to go to a place called Rome," said Luna. "One of the things he's looking for is in an old arena there."

"Rome?" asked Hermione, who had just rejoined them along with Ginny. "Old arena… You mean the Coliseum?"

"I believe so," said Luna. "My mandarin is a little rusty, so he either said Coliseum or the house of the dancing flower."

The five of them stared at her for a moment and wondering why they were even surprised by anything that came out of her mouth anymore.

"I'm going to go with the Coliseum," said Harry.

The six of them left the shop and found an empty alley, and from there, they used the A.P.P.K. to travel to Rome.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Grindelwald walked out of a small shop with a metal box in hand.

"I cannot believe that they had something like that," said Snape. "Or that you were given it for free."

"Carlo is the son of a man that aided me during my days in the S.S.," said Grindelwald. "He helped us find an artifact that Hitler wanted in his crazed search for religious and magical items he believed would help him win the war. After we got it, we were supposed to kill him. Instead, I felt it best if he lived. So I killed the rest of the S.S. that were with us and he swore to me that if I ever needed anything, to just ask and it would be taken care of for sparing his life. I never felt the need to call in that favor. But now… Just the thought of seeing this in action makes it worth it. I just hope Potter doesn't die to quickly. It would be a shameful waste of such an entertaining possibility."

"I believe you shall not be disappointed," said Snape. "Potter killed a basilisk when he was only twelve. And at fourteen, he survived an encounter with a female Hungarian Horntail."

Grindelwald looked surprised upon hearing that.

"I have known fully grown wizards that have lost their lives to a female Horntail," said Grindelwald. "The fact that this boy survived speaks highly of his power… Yes. He should provide quite the entertainment against this little surprise."

"But where will we wait for him?" asked Snape.

"The Gauntlet is in an old arena in Rome," said Grindelwald. "What better place for Potter to fight for his life than there."

**A/N:** So, anyone want to take a guess as to what Grindelwald has procured for Harry and his friends to fight? A hint? Well… It's awesome and damn near impossible to kill.


End file.
